The Amazing Spider-Man [2022] #5 - Marvel Comics

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN No. 5, September 2022

Ending “the first arc of this historic new volume” of “The Amazing Spider-Man”, this twenty-page periodical arguably still proved something of a good jumping on issue for those Wall-crawling fans unsure of Zeb Wells’ pedigree writing “one of the most popular and iconic comic book superheroes of all time.” Indeed, courtesy of its narrative exclusively focusing upon the fall-out of Web-head single-handedly destroying the Rose’s criminal organisation, this particular edition actually makes quite an enjoyable stand-a-lone instalment of the ongoing series.

For openers, the American author rather enchantingly uses the green-skinned villain Vegas Thirteen as an intriguing, and somewhat tongue-in-cheek, bookend, who not only helps illustrate just how disastrously far Richard Fisk has fallen from power. But also suggests at the end that perhaps the Schemer’s sole-surviving henchman may still be in a position to win back some of his boss’ lost turf before he’s been released from police custody; “Digger found us! We got nothing that can stop him! We’re losing everything!”

Similarly as proficiently penned is arguably the “Robot Chicken” director’s depiction of the forimably-powerful criminal Maggia, with a victorious Tombstone still being unwilling to risk the wrath of his surviving peers if they ever get wind of his ‘close relationship’ with Peter Parker’s alter-ego. In fact, despite this sadly somewhat short-lived meeting of the marvel Universe's mafia almost being suffocated out amidst some much more action-packed sequences, the ‘sword of Damocles’ it creates above Alonzo Lincoln’s head remains in play for the rest of the comic - especially towards its end when Spider-man surprisingly appears at the albino’s home and threatens to reveal all to the likes of Madame Masque.

Definitely providing the brutally battered titular character with some disturbingly visible facial bruising is artist John Romita Junior, who manages to help sell a good deal of this book’s tension with just a look in each character’s eyes. Furthermore, the Eisner Award-winner does a very good job in illustrating both Digger’s pent-up anger and frustration, as well as the hoodlum’s concern that the Rose will “hunt me to the ends of the Earth when he gets out”, even when it’s done via the “Gamma-irritated being” humorously tossing a half-eaten ice cream cone out of a car before his employer sees him.

Writer: Zeb Wells, Penciler: John Romita JR., and Inker: Scott Hanna

The Amazing Spider-Man [2018] #23 - Marvel Comics

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN No. 23, August 2019

Whilst Nick Spencer’s narrative for this “Hunted epilogue” debatably delivers when it comes to neatly sowing up the multi-issue event’s numerous outstanding plot-threads, the overall tone of the former politician’s penmanship, as a highly agitated Spider-Man desperately rushes back to Mary Jane’s flat to supposedly save her life, probably still struck many a bibliophile as being a little disconcertingly flat. True, Peter Parker’s love interest has indeed shockingly splattered her blood across the carpet as a result of a decidedly nasty injury, but the gory wound is disappointingly revealed to be as a result of the woman accidentally tripping over the laundry rather than her being attacked by a deadly super-villain.

Equally as disinteresting is arguably the American author’s handling of “an army of costumed criminals” who have suddenly “been set free in the middle of Manhattan.” This potential wave of violence could easily have become the basis of a storyline in its own right, as the cold-hearted killers make a dash for their liberty and perhaps to have their revenge upon some of New York’s outnumbered finest. However, quite miraculously, their escape occurs just as the likes of the “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” and Fantastic Four show up to quickly wrap things up within the space of a handful of panels; “So yeah, bad guys of all shapes and sizes getting what they deserve. And hopefully that sticks this time --”

Quite possibly this publication’s saving grace therefore lies in the funeral of Kraven and his distraught son’s subsequent acceptance of his father’s name and heritage. Initially enraged by Sergei Kravinoff’s death and visibly reluctant to follow in the big game hunter’s footsteps, this intriguing emotional piece surely must have whetted the appetites of Spider-Man fans everywhere as to the pair’s future confrontations in print.

Just as frustratingly inconsistent as the writing though is Ryan Ottley’s pencilling, which despite being well-drawn in many places, such as Parker’s dynamic entrance into Mary Jane’s apartment, appears frightfully angular looking in others. Indeed, the panels portraying She-Hulk smacking Antonio Rodriguez’s alter-ego Armadillo straight in the jaw as the Avengers make a triumphant appearance, and an incarcerated Vulture re-establishing the Sinister Six, could well be mistaken for having been sketched by an entirely different artist.

Writer: Nick Spencer, Penciler: Ryan Ottley, and Inker: Cliff Rathburn

The Amazing Spider-Man [2018] #22 - Marvel Comics

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN No. 22, July 2019

It is hard to believe that many of this comic’s 78,102 buyers actually agreed with “Imagine Games Network” when the entertainment media website proudly proclaimed in May 2019 that this book “has a satisfying ending”, considering that having put Peter Parker’s alter-ego through a series of horrific emotional trials and tribulations Nick Spencer nonsensically pens Kraven The Hunter simply letting his arch-nemesis go unmolested. Indeed, the bizarre moment debatably makes a complete mockery of the entire multi-part event and raises numerous questions as to just why Sergei Kravinoff even bothered to fund so elaborate a death-trap as the one in New York City’s Central Park he constructed with the help of fellow super-villain Arcade.

Sure, there’s potentially some dark-seated logic to the storyline’s premise that the jaded, big-game Russian might seek his own death at the hands of his greatest adversary, and resultantly put into place a plan which would cause Spider-Man to lose his temper to the point where he murders Stan Lee's co-creation with his super-strength. But setting up a technologically sophisticated death-zone crammed full of Web-head’s most notorious villains and having society’s bored elite gun them down in cold-blood using heavily armed, remote-controlled robots probably isn’t the first scheme to cause such a loss of self-control which leapt to any bibliophile’s mind; “There will be no more bloodshed in the fields or the ballroom tonight.”

Intriguingly however, Issue Twenty-Two of “The Amazing Spider-Man” does contain a few arguably well-penned moments, most notably that of Kraven’s shocking demise fighting his heir. This misdirection is quite wonderfully delivered due to artist Humberto Ramos’ clever layouts, which strongly suggest the Soviet’s son is stood waiting for a frantic Wall-crawler just beyond Kravinoff’s secret headquarters and not his weary father who is disguised as the black-suited titular character. The ensuing close combat is enthrallingly brutal, and doubtless for a moment many a reader actually thought the High Evolutionary’s clone might actually have achieved what his parent could not.

In addition, the Mexican penciller’s dynamic depiction of Kraven’s Last Son battling both Black Cat and the Lizard is breathtakingly action-packed, with each panel palpably presenting a savage urgency to the events taking place. Furthermore, having established just how mercilessly vicious Curt Conner’s scaly form can be when he successfully dispatches the heavily moustached killer about to slaughter his son, the illustrator quite magically then imbues the former member of the Sinister Six with a wonderfully caring complexion so as to assure an understandably nervous Billy he won’t hurt him.

Writer: Nick Spencer, Penciler: Humberto Ramos & Inkers: Humberto Ramos & Victor Olazaba

The Amazing Spider-Man [2018] #21 - Marvel Comics

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN No. 21, July 2019

Misleadingly described by “Marvel Worldwide” as “the climactic conclusion” to Nick Spencer’s “Hunted” storyline and featuring a disconcertingly dismissal battle against a herd of Vermin duplicates, Issue Twenty-One of “The Amazing Spider-Man” surely frustrated many a fan of Peter Parker’s alter-ego. True, the former politician does initially depict Web-head bravely battling against an army of Edward Whelan clones in an incredibly dynamic bout of pugilism. But once this contest’s tide turns in favour of the numerous hungry, sharp-toothed rat-men, the lead protagonist both readily gives up the will to live and then begs Kraven for mercy when he believes the Russian immigrant is about to shoot him in the face.

Such uncharacteristic moments of vulnerability arguably haunt the rest of this twenty-three-page periodical, as the American author’s subsequent depiction of Steve Ditko’s co-creation seemingly shows him lacking any real stomach for a fight, even when Felicia Hardy’s life is clearly in danger. Indeed, rather than take a chance to have the Lizard save his former lover from the Last Son of Kraven, Spidey instead wastes valuable time adopting the moral high ground and starts waxing lyrical about “I have a code that I live by --”

Far more convincing is Spencer’s sadly short-lived spotlight upon the Vulture and his criminal force’s no-holds barred conflict with the cold-hearted Hunterbots in Central Park. Evidently able to sacrifice some of his villainous comrades-in-arms without any qualms whatsoever in order to achieve his own ends, Adrian Toomes proves as mesmerising an antagonist as he is utterly merciless, and many a bibliophile will doubtless feel somewhat robbed that this publication spends so much of its focus upon Parker’s disagreeable self-doubts, as opposed to the machinations of the founding member of the Sinister Six.

Sadly suggesting that this particular script didn’t encompass enough elements to completely fill out its page count are Gerardo Sandoval’s layouts, which, whilst prodigiously pencilled, seem to contain an awful lot of splash pages and voids throughout their storytelling. In particular, the Mexican illustrator fills many a panel with just a close-up of Spider-Man’s head depicting the Web-spinner’s increasingly defeatist attitude to the situation he faces – albeit considering just how dialogue-driven the majority of this book is it’s debatably difficult to imagine what else the artist could do.

Writer: Nick Spencer, Penciler: Gerardo Sandoval & Inkers: Gerardo Sandoval & Victor Nava

The Amazing Spider-Man [2018] #20 - Marvel Comics

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN No. 20, June 2019

Despite containing a couple of corking confrontations featuring the likes of Black Cat and The Lizard, Issue Twenty of “The Amazing Spider-Man” probably still disappointed a fair few of its 76,903 readers due to Nick Spencer’s insistence on depicting both bouts of fisticuffs as disconcertingly one-sided affairs. In fact, having established Curt Conner’s overwhelmingly strong parental instinct to save his young boy’s life in one of this storyline’s earlier editions, the American author seemingly does a complete u-turn on the character’s ability to overcome his aggression-inhibiting spinal chip, by having the scaly anti-hero meekly succumb to the Last Son of Kraven even though the cold-hearted killer has vowed to tear young Billy “limb from limb” and “mount his head on a wall” whilst forcing the reptilian human mutate to watch.

Combined with Felicia Hardy’s inability to best a lone Hunter-Bot who is initially lightly armed with just a knife and pistol, such a disappointing decline in the fighting prowess in two of this comic’s leading cast members arguably comes across as unsophisticated story-telling, and smacks of simply being contrived in order to help set-up the twenty-page periodical’s so-called shock revelation that the virtual link between a portly Great Hunt participate and his automaton cannot be severed until both the robot and its wealthy user have been destroyed/killed; “What the heck is wrong with this thing? Arcade! Arcade, come on --”

Admittedly, that doesn’t mean for a moment that the two-time Charter Party political candidate’s narrative for this comic lacks any entertainment value, as its action-packed shenanigans most assuredly do. But every time Spencer sets up a potentially mouth-watering skirmish the end result just seems to show the ‘good guys’ as being perturbingly ineffective, and in the Black Cat’s case, the only reason the former Crime Boss is alive is because the man who shot her suddenly gains a conscience just long enough to be reminded that he has a boy about the same age as The Lizard’s sobbing son.

Perhaps this publication’s biggest strength therefore lies in the layouts of Humberto Ramos, which in particular do an awesome job of putting across the increasing frustration felt by the Last Son of Kraven with his father’s plan. The clone is clearly absolutely beside himself with rage by the time he encounters Curt Conner’s alter ego and this book’s audience can almost physically feel the man’s relief when he initially gets to beat down upon his ineffective opponent.

Writer: Nick Spencer, Penciler: Humberto Ramos, and Inker: Victor Olazaba

The Amazing Spider-Man [2018] #19 - Marvel Comics

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN No. 19, June 2019

Considering that Nick Spencer’s narrative for Issue Nineteen of “The Amazing Spider-Man” focuses upon a plethora of the titular character’s most notorious arch-villains, most notably that of the Vulture and the Rhino, this comic’s 74,018 strong audience must have been disappointingly surprised at the plot’s pedestrian pace. For whilst Peter Parker’s black-suited alter-ego invariably ends up scuffling with Aleksei Sytsevich, as well as battling against a pack of Hunter-bots, these confrontations are so tantalisingly brief and unsatisfyingly short-lived, that they arguably needn’t have been included at all.

Indeed, in many ways this third instalment of the American author’s “Hunted” story-arc seems to have been purely penned simply to push along the multi-edition event’s numerous secondary threads, and resultantly rather haphazardly dips into the Black Cat’s incarceration with Billy Connors, the Last Son of Kraven’s unhappiness at his father’s grand scheme, Adrian Toomes’ laughably dishonest attempt to seize control of the Savage Six, the Rhino’s palpable anger at being previously ‘betrayed’ by Spider-Man when Web-head rescued Aunt May rather than save the super-strong Sytsevich from the clutches of the Taskmaster, and Tony Master’s ‘off-screen’ capture of the Lizard.

Of course, all these insights into this storyline’s impressively large supporting cast are both noteworthy and fairly diverting, especially Felicia Hardy’s use of her bad luck probability power to have her cell’s hapless guard molested by a savagely-fanged wild cat. But such a choppy goulash of so many dialogue-heavy scenes and sedentary sequences debatably makes this twenty-page periodical a somewhat tediously tiring, rambling read; “Let them see the Kravinoff Family name restored through bloodshed. Show them what we are capable of. Show them what you are capable of.”

Providing some glimmer of light however, are Gerardo Sandoval’s layouts, which successfully imbue even the most monotonous of monologues with a modicum of dynamism and emotion. The Vulcan’s earnest power play beneath one of Central Park’s fifty bridges is a good example of this, as the Mexican illustrator provides Toomes with all the physical animation the former electrical engineer needs for his argument to appear compelling when contrasted to Spidey’s unconvincingly delivered counterclaim that the professional criminal is unfit to lead simply because he’s an untrustworthy fraud.

The regular cover art of "THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN" No. 19 by Humberto Rams & Edgar Delgado

The Amazing Spider-Man [2018] #18 - Marvel Comics

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN No. 18, May 2019

Chock-full of the headlong flights for freedom a reader might well expect when you throw together some of Spider-Man’s worst enemies and “an army of Kraven-lookalike robots that suddenly stormed into Central Park, firing at everyone and everything in sight”, Nick Spencer’s scintillating storyline for Issue Eighteen of “The Amazing Spider-Man” must most assuredly have had many of this ongoing series' 74,466 fans on the very edge of their seats. True, there isn’t any likelihood at all that this comic’s titular character was going to become one of this publication’s unfortunate fatalities, but the American author soon makes it abundantly clear that the same cannot be said for some of this publication’s other notable supporting cast members.

In fact, it is hard to imagine a more gripping dash through New York City’s fifth-largest park than the one presented with this second instalment of “Hunted”, as the likes of the Iguana, White Rabbit, Puma, Frogman, Beetle, Vulture, Gibbon and the Rhino, all face the very real possibility of being shot, stabbed, slashed, speared or bloodily battered by one of Arcade’s automatons. Such a sense of mortality really is positively palpable within this twenty-one page periodical, and shockingly only increases when a Bill Mantlo co-creation from way back in the late Seventies suddenly meets a grisly end at the hands of the portly, tuxedo-wearing Bob; “This is for always passing me up for that promotion! I -- I killed that thing. I -- I killed it!”

Similarly as sensational is Spencer’s excellent portrayal of this comic’s lead antagonists, with both Arcade and the Taskmaster coming across as a pair of seriously cold-hearted killers-for-hire. Indeed, the two-time Cincinnati City Council candidate’s depiction of Tony Masters treacherously betraying his long-time partner-in-crime, the Black Ant, for “double the bounty” so he “can get to pay for that beach house in Belize” is extremely well-penned, and arguably comes completely out of the blue despite the fact that “ants are animals too.”

Rounding off a truly memorable book are Humberto Ramos’ terrific-looking pencilled panels and Victor Olazaba’s dynamic inking. Spider-Man has debatably never looked better in his black suit than during his fleeting brush with Adrian Toomes, whilst the sheer terror etched upon the faces of so many hardened criminals as they are literally mowed down by the merciless hunter-bots proves an extremely disconcerting sight to behold.

Writer: Nick Spencer, Penciler: Humberto Ramos, and Inker: Victor Olazaba

The Amazing Spider-Man [2018] #17 - Marvel Comics

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN No. 17, May 2019

Selling 78,464 copies in March 2019, it was probably clear to many of this book’s readers just why editor Nick Lowe hired Nick Spencer “to write Amazing Spider-Man” if this comic’s premise was one of the first stories Dan Slott’s replacement pitched having been given the job. For whilst the American author’s initial proposal “grew so much that we couldn’t contain it solely” within just the one ongoing series and therefore needed to add “four extra issues to devote to three of Spider-Man’s biggest villains or frenemies”, this extra-sized thirty-page periodical’s narrative still contains a spellbindingly emotional plot which depicts many of the vulnerabilities that have made Peter Parker’s alter-ego “one of the most popular and iconic comic book characters of all time.”

To begin with the titular character is once again spurred on by his hypersensitive feelings of guilt, having previously failed to prevent Taskmaster and Black Ant from abducting young Billy Connors “right in the middle of Times Square.” Admittedly, Web-head wasn’t physically present to prevent the reptilian boy’s actual kidnapping, but in a similar leap of “Bacon’s Law” logic which saw the titular character previously feel responsible for his Uncle Ben’s tragic death, the costumed crimefighter tears himself up internally having had the two mercenaries “dead to rights the other day.”

Equally as absorbing is the American author’s use of Parker being “sick out of my mind” with a burning fever so as to rationalise just why someone with the “proportional strength of a spider" is eventually bested by Kraven the Hunter’s son. Ordinarily, this book’s audience would probably expect the super-strong Wall-crawler to defeat the clone utilising only a modicum of his special abilities. However, additionally affected by an hallucinogenic chemical gas alongside his “puking – my – guts – out” illness, Spider-Man is portrayed as being the slight underdog, adding plenty of pulse-pounding tension to his bout of pugilism which otherwise wouldn’t have existed.

Rounding off this splendidly over-sized, thirty-page publication is Humberto Ramos’ marvellous pencilling which adds plenty of gravitas to some of this comic’s more outlandish elements, such as Central Park somehow being filled with many of Marvel Universe’s most infamous villains during the dead of night. In addition, the Mexican artist’s depiction of Spidey eventually falling beneath the fists of Kravinoff’s younger self, beautifully inked by Victor Olazaba, is easily worth the cover price of this comic book alone.

Writer: Nick Spencer, Penciler: Humbertos Ramos, and Inker: Victor Olazaba

The Amazing Spider-Man [2018] #16.HU - Marvel Comics

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN No. 16.HU, May 2019

Impressively relegating the titular character to a series of emotionally-charged flashback sequences, Nick Spencer’s storyline for this first of four “Hunted” related bonus issues instead gave his 52,961 readers in March 2019 a fascinating insight into the turbulent world of the Black Cat, as Felicia Hardy tries to single-handedly right so many of the wrongs she committed whilst “becoming the Queenpin of Crime” and “running the New York underworld with Hammerhead as my right hand.” Such a marketing ploy, which resulted in “Marvel Worldworld” publishing no less than three different editions of “The Amazing Spider-Man” in a single month, could easily have oversaturated an audience already awash with other spider-related heroes in their Pull Lists. Yet such is the enthralling nature of the American author’s twenty-page plot that this particular comic is arguably crucial viewing for either a fan of the feline burglar or anyone intrigued as to just how Kraven The Hunter managed to ‘acquire’ his menagerie of “criminals who dare claim affinity with the beasts of the wild.”

For starters, Spencer provides plenty of evidence to show just how formidable a fighter the Black Cat can be when “I have a lot of unchecked aggression I need to get out of my system right now.” Enraged by her returning memories of Peter Parker and the break-up of their intimate relationship, Hardy is clearly as savage a street-level combatant as she is viciously clawed. Indeed, she wades through Hammerhead’s minions like they were playing pieces in a board game and even manages to momentarily gain the upper hand when faced with the combined might of Taskmaster and the Black Ant, courtesy of a well-thrown flash grenade.

However, this tome isn’t simply about Iban Coello pencilling plenty of pulse-pounding bouts of pugilism, but also shows how kind-hearted Felicia is determined to become despite all her deep, dark misgivings. Initially fooling herself into believing that she’ll leave the “poor little guy” Billy Connors trapped sobbing within a small cage so that another “do-gooder in tights” can rescue him, her subsequent decision to save the boy at the cost of her own well-being is dramatically-penned, and definitely gets the heart-racing when the entire scenario is revealed to have been a trap orchestrated by the Black Cat's former lieutenant in the Maggia; “Hey, Boss. I told ‘em I’d only help if I got to watch.”

Writer: Nick Spencer, Artist: Iban Coello, and Colorist: Edgar Delgado

The Amazing Spider-Man #793 - Marvel Comics

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN No. 793, February 2018

Plunging its 53,260-strong audience straight into the thick of Spider-Man and Anti-Venom’s team-up “to locate the missing symbiotic of Flash’s friend, Andrea Benton” with no more than a handful of explanatory sentences at the very start of the book, Dan Slott’s script for this twenty-one page-periodical must have proved a particularly illusive, rather haphazardly-paced reading experience for those who hadn’t bothered to previously purchase the rest of the multi-title event’s corresponding chapters. Indeed, it’s arguably hard to discern precisely what is meant to be happening within this comic, as the Berkeley-born writer’s narrative illogically leaps from the Meatpacking District, Karnelli’s Scrapyard in the Bronx and Alchemax, until it finally settles upon “the five largest crime families in the World” and Lee Price’s apparently successful attempt to ensorcel the Maggia by ‘spitting in their food’; “Your food tasters would’ve warned you… But they work for me now. Like you.”

Before this cliffhanger conclusion though, the Eisner Award-winner’s story-line is arguably a befuddling mess, with the titular character seemingly foiling a truck robbery only to then steal the vehicle’s cargo of caviar, foie gras, and “some of the most expensive wines on the East Coast” for himself. True, this publication’s aforementioned short-lived introduction does mention the fact that Web-head had been “outgunned and captured” by Maniac 'off-screen', yet the first indication that Peter Parker’s alter-ego has actually become one of the criminal’s “burgeoning symbiotic army” isn’t debatably clear until the wall-crawler’s facial disfigurement is fully disclosed by artist Ryan Stegman later in the scene, and furthermore this particular comic never properly explains just how the costumed vigilant became an “unfriendly neighbourhood spider-slave”, nor how Price’s villainous super-power actually works..?

Equally as disconcerting is Mania’s introduction, which initially seems to have been perfectly timed in order for Agent Venom’s partner to inadvertently watch her “coach” shockingly burn to death inside a melting furnace. The purple-haired student apparently still has “some powers of my own” despite losing her symbiote, however somewhat frustratingly none of Benton’s loss or the girl’s past relationship with Flash Thompson is explored within this instalment of “Venom Inc.” except via an off-hand remark that Andi still has “my mystic Hell-mark” and conveniently “could kinda sense” she had to leave Philadelphia to visit the Bronx-located scrapyard.

Of course debatably this book’s biggest foible is its belief that by threatening the staff of the Daily Bugle, the “mind-controlled” Spider-Man would somehow attract the Black Cat’s attention “and draw her into the open.” This puzzling scene, which the “out of character” inkling himself laters admits probably “wasn’t the best plan”, is genuinely head-scratching, and seems to be a complete waste of time unless cynically seen as a lazy way for Slott to show New York City’s media that the human mutate was acting criminally whilst ‘under duress’...

Writer: Dan Slott, Artist: Ryan Stegman, and Color Artist: Brian Reber